Germany - Bamberg Cathedral

The Bamberg Cathedral - officially the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. George ( Bamberger Dom St. Peter und St. Georg - is a late Romanesque building. The church founded in 1002 by emperor Heinrich II and dedicated on May 6, 1012, the birthday of the emperor. Two fires in 1081 and 1185 destroyed huge parts of the original building. The entire northern part was rebuilt; the church became its present late-Romanesque form in the 13th century.

The cathedral is about 94 meters long, 28 meters broad and 26 meters high. The four towers are each about 81 meters high. Personally I found the interior quite sober, although it has a couple of treasures. One of the highlights is the tomb of Heinrich II and his wife Kunigunde (PiP1). Another treasure is the Bamberger Reiter (Bamberg Horseman); an equestrian statue full of mysteries (PiP2). No one knows who the figure is, although it is said that he is Stephan I of Hungary, who was said to have ridden to the cathedral to be christened

Pope Clemens II is buried in the Bamberg Cathedral. He was the local bishop before he became pope in 1046, but he died in 1047. Bamberg Cathedral is the site of the only papal burial outside of Italy and France.

The dedication of the cathedral was also the foundation of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bamberg. The cathedral has been the seat of the Bamberg Archbishop ever since - by now for more than a thousand years!

(The main picture shows the so called Princes’ Portal (Fürstenportal), located in the centre of the north wall. It is used only on holy days. )